We're Not Like That
by LatinGrrrl
Summary: It's been a few months since Freak Nation and Max and Alec's relationship is changing and now there is someone else in the mix. I don't really know what rating this should have, let me know, if you think I should change it.
1. Census

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Dark Angle characters that existed in the series, anyone else that happens to crop up is of my own invention.

A/N: Try not to be too discouraging; this is the first time I attempt to post a fan fic.

Census

Alec sauntered into headquarters and handed the latest Terminal City "census" to Luke.

"That'll have to do until next week. No one showed up the last half hour, so I think we're good," Alec told the pale transhuman.

A housing committee had been set up to not only find living quarters for the TC inhabitants, but also to keep track of the sheer number and catalog the skills of the transgenics sheltered within the compound. Every Sunday night, between 8 pm and whenever they stopped showing up, all TC newcomers could be found waiting in line to be entered into the database, referenced by name, barcode, and specialty.

Though not technically part of the housing committee, Alec was handing in their night's work because both he and Max, while not active participants in everything, made it a point to show interest in and stay knowledgeable about the majority of what occurred in TC. "This is great, it looks like we have a few more medics," Luke replied.

"Is our fearless leader in?" Alec asked in his usual jovial tones.

"In her office, I think. I haven't heard anything in a few hours though, so she may have left without me noticing," Mole growled.

"Nah, she wouldn't rake off without telling anyone. I'm going to go in and see her, she'll want to know tonight's number."

The lizard man and the trench digger smirked at each other, silently acknowledging that Alec would use any excuse, no matter how transparent, to check in on Max.

Alec walked into Max's office without bothering to knock (why start now) ready to harass her into going home to relax, only to be met by a surprise. Little Miss Shark DNA was sound asleep, pen poised in her hand, head resting on the desk. Alec eased her away from her perch, gathering the exhausted brunette in his arms, carrying her towards the door.

"Alec?" She murmured drowsily, as her hands instinctively went around his neck and her head snuggled into the hollow of his shoulder.

"Shhh, just go back to sleep, Maxie," he responded, rubbing his hand reassuringly on her back.

"Can't…have to finish the plan…for tomorrow night's heist." The petite woman's sentence was punctuated by several yawns. She half-heartedly pushed against his muscular chest, signaling that he should let her down.

"When was the last time you got some sleep?" Alec questioned, ignoring her non-verbal request.

"I don't know, a week or so, maybe," she answered before drifting off to sleep again.

This confirmed his suspicions that Terminal City's new mayor was pushing herself too hard. It wasn't the first time in the last few months that Alec had carried her to the apartment they shared. Perhaps even more disturbing was the fact that she had forgotten to tell him not to call her "Maxie."

The housing committee had decided that it made the most sense for TC's leader and her second in command to be housed in the same living quarters. Not only was space at a premium in the new city, but it would also make it more efficient to find one of them in case of an emergency. Surprisingly, neither Alec nor Max had minded the arrangement, in the time following the siege their somewhat stilted relations had grown into a solid friendship. Lately, Alec had started to realize that he felt more that mere camaraderie for the beautiful transgenic. He had begun to suspect he was in love with her.

Once, he had believed himself in love with Rachel Berrisford, but Alec now realized what he had felt was infatuation, infatuation with a girl who represented a way of life, he, as a genetically engineered soldier, could not access. The more Alec's mind dwelled on the situation, the more his awareness increased. He had been enamored with her carefree existence, no the girl she was. It was unfair to Rachel; she had essentially been a good person and had deserved more. She had deserved a man who wanted her for herself. Perhaps that was one of the reason s he had had such difficulty letting go of his guilt at following orders. Even armed with the knowledge that Rachel was never truly as innocent as she seemed, he still felt as though he had betrayed her.

Berrisford shared everything with his daughter, including the decision to sell information about Manticore to the highest bidder. Rachel was revolted by the idea of creating the perfect super soldier through genetic manipulation and had believed that selling Manticore's secrets would increase knowledge of the government's nefarious schemes. She had naively hoped shedding light on the situation would cause its downfall. Alec accepted that though the young woman had professed to love his alter ego, Simon Lehane, she would have hated X5-494.

It was Max who had helped him get past Rachel Berrisford's memory, just as Alec had aided her in dealing with her role in her brother, Ben's death. During the process of unburdening their consciences, the two learned to trust each other. Trust grew into friendship and now, for Alec, friendship had grown into a more intimate emotion. Though the jokester was normally unafraid of anything, he was reluctant to share his feelings with the object of his affections. He didn't know how Max would react to a romantic revelation coming from him. It was only recently that she had stopped using him as a human punching bag.

A/N I can either stop here or continue. Please let me know if anyone is interested in finding out what happens next, if not, I will keep is a one shot.


	2. Changes and Game Faces

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Dark Angle characters that existed in the series; anyone else that happens to crop up is of my own invention.

A/N: The sentence in the previous chapter, "Alec accepted that though the young woman had professed to love his alter ego, Simon Lehane, she would have hated X5-452," was supposed to read X5-494, I have corrected it, sorry.

Changes and Game Faces

Max had noticed the obvious change in Alec's behavior, but she had incorrectly identified the motivating factor behind it. She was glad that he had stopped sleeping around and believed that his newfound chastity was a result of his feelings of responsibility towards TC. Females were out numbered almost two to one in the transgenic city and several fights had broken out between males trying to "win" the same female. While most transgenics in Terminal City were not mated, any female that wished to be had more than enough men vying to be her choice. The majority of Manticore's finest had discovered that while they found satisfaction with ordinaries, nothing could compare with being with their own kind. Max believed that Alec, as a leader in the community, didn't want to add to what was fast becoming chaos. For his part, Alec found it amusing that though she attributed his behavior to anything so altruistic, when in reality, he didn't want to risk ruining a possible relationship with Max, that is if he ever got the courage to confess his feelings.

"Hey, Smart Aleck," Max said, catching up with her second-in-command in his office at headquarters. The two had been busy all day and were just now getting a chance to talk, as it was late and most of Terminal City's hustle and bustle had died down.

"Hey, Maxie, miss me already?" Alec replied with his trademark grin.

"Don't call me that."

"Why not? If you can call me Smart Aleck, then I should be able to call you Maxie," he countered.

"Whatever, I just wanted to thank you finishing up the plans for tonight's heist. Sorry I fell asleep on you again."

"No big deal, I know it was just your way of getting me to carry you to bed, but I've told you before, sweetheart, all you have to do is ask and I'll be happy to lay you down." That statement which would have only a few months before earned him a bruise, now only elicited a playful swat to the shoulder.

"Keep dreaming, Alec, 'cuz the only way this body is going to be pressed up against yours, is if you're deep in REM sleep." Max said with a laugh, running her hands over her hips, mocking him suggestively.

"Is that right?" Her former breeding partner murmured, pulling her towards him until she was flush against him, hip to hip, chest to breast. "That sounds a little bit like a challenge, or is it that you want to have your way with my unresisting body? I don't have to be asleep for that, Maxie. If you want, you can tie me up or I'm sure someone around here has handcuffs," he whispered into her ear, seductively, trying to maintain some semblance of his usual façade and not let her know just how serious he was. As close as his face was to Max's, Alec couldn't be sure if the flash of desire he saw in her eyes was wishful thinking on his part or reality. Feeling reckless, his mouth began a slow descent to her full lips, giving the transgenic woman plenty of time to pull away.

Just as they were about to kiss, Mole barged through the door, causing the two X5's to break apart quickly. Both tried to act as though nothing had been on the verge of happening.

"You, lovebirds, are going to have to find time to neck later, we've got a situation," the lizard growled, speaking around his cigar.

"Give me a sit-rep, what's going on?" Max questioned, instantly assuming a military stance, completely wiping off any remaining signs of lust from her exotic visage.

"We've got a couple of wounded X6's that just made it to the first guard tower. They said they escaped from White. It looks like he's still holding another five transgenics, X series and transhumans." Mole spat out. "I don't know if I trust them though, it could be a trap."

"Double the guard around the perimeter and let everyone know I don't want people leaving TC tonight." Max ordered. "You're a little paranoid, but I trust your instincts, Mole, if you think there's something sideways about the escapees have someone from Psy Ops check them out. After we know what's going on we can decide how to stage a rescue, if it's needed."

"Have Mia question them. She's subtle and she's got that vaguely maternal thing going on." Alec interjected. He knew he needed to focus on the task at hand, but part of his brain couldn't get past what had almost happened between him and the sexy woman currently snapping out orders. In fact, he didn't know which facet of her personality he found more attractive; the flirty siren he had been holding or the hot-as-hell, take-charge leader she had morphed into. Either way, he acknowledged to himself, he had it bad.

If only they hadn't been interrupted, he would finally have known how well Max's cherry flavored Chapstick worked. He would have tasted her lush lips, it had been just like his fantasy where –

"Alec, are you paying attention?" Max's hand reached out automatically and knocked him upside the head; some things never change.

"Sorry, I was thinking of rescue possibilities," he lied, smoothly.

"We need to alert Potter, Aimee, Edgar, Hammer, and Zero that tonight's mission has been postponed. Do you know where they were gearing up?" The mayor asked.

"They're probably in one of the conference rooms. Hector mentioned a last minute briefing he wanted to give his entire unit. He should have them all assembled, you know how thorough he is," Luke joined in on the conversation, from his position in the doorway.

"Alright, kids," Max, stated, "it's time to put on your game faces."


	3. Mind Games

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Dark Angle characters that existed in the series; anyone else that happens to crop up is of my own invention.

Mind Games

"Wow, that's such a fascinating story, I really love the way you go into so much detail. Do you think you could tell me one more time what really happened, how you got to Terminal City?" Mia gushed.

The two alleged escapees were more than eager to respond to the coercive forces that Mia emitted. Mole had been right in his mistrust of the newcomers.

X6-987 and X6-747 had been deployed abroad when Manticore went down. Ames White had taken advantage of the confusion to bring the two soldiers under his command. It seemed they had been doing his dirty work for the last few months, rounding up transgenics that they believe had betrayed Manticore. They had been sent in on a kamikaze mission, their orders had been to infiltrate Terminal City and bring intel back to White. Any of TC's citizens they happened to send to their new commanding officer before they were caught would simply be an added bonus.

What the hell had she been thinking? She had almost let Alec kiss her; actually, if she were being honest, she would admit that she had practically dared him to kiss her (she didn't feel any overwhelming desire to stop lying to herself.) All Max needed to do was keep more distance between the two of them. She wasn't sure what had possessed Alec, but it was probably just spillover from his self-imposed celibacy. After all, they weren't like that.

Either way, she didn't have time to think about Alec's dumbass, she had to figure out what she was going to do about the potentially kidnapped transgenics. Mia was currently working on the two X6's who had escaped, determining whether or not they could be trusted. There was a perfunctory knock at the door, before Max heard a sugary sweet voice.

"Max, honey, I talked to those kids you needed me to see," Mia stated, as she sashayed into the room. TC's mayor grinned; she had always felt the ex-Psy Ops soldier was a master of the understatement.

"What's the word?"

"Not good, I'm afraid. It turns out White really does have a bunch of X-series and transhumans." Max frowned and opened her mouth to bark out Alec and Mole's names. "Wait, it gets a little worse. The two that showed up here didn't quite get away on accident. They were released on purpose; it looks like it was a half-assed attempt to set up an ambush." Mia elaborated for the next few minutes, telling Max about White's deception.

"That doesn't sound right, White is usually a whole lot better at his job," Max murmured.

"Well, the two new guys are in Med Bay, they're getting those little explosive deals taken out of their necks. Now that they've been brought up to speed, they're ready to kick ass. Those poor kids helped kill a lot of transgenics; they're not going to get over that anytime soon. Plus, they've worked out that they were sent here to die, so they're really not happy about that either. It doesn't sound like White was overly concerned if his little plan worked, in his mind, I think it was a win-win situation. He had two X series out of the way, even if they didn't manage to kill you. I'd still keep an eye on them for a while, but I think 987 and 747 will be good additions to Terminal City."

"Get Alec and Mole in here, will you?"

"Sure thing," Mia replied on her way out the door.

It was 0200 hours and Max was sitting in her office trying not to bite her nails. Alec and Tank's team had been due back an hour earlier and no one knew where the plans had gone awry and held the soldiers up. Control had had to maintain radio silence since they couldn't be sure exactly where the team was.

Max had wanted to lead the rescue, but Alec had taken her aside and argued with her until she changed her mind. According to him, as the "leader of the mutant community and world's only hope for survival," she couldn't needlessly risk her life. He hadn't exactly said it diplomatically, but Max chose to ignore that, after all, Alec had to be in top health if he was going on a mission. Actually, even while he had been bitching at her (at least, he had been smart enough not to yell at her in front of everyone) all she had been thinking about was how freaking gorgeous he looked when he was pissed off. Max didn't know what worried her more, the fact that she had had a few more-than-friendly thoughts about her second-in-command or that his forcing her to back down had turned her on, she had never thought she'd get hot about a power play.

Either way, she was no longer focused on her suddenly hypersensitive libido and was definitely worried about the delayed team. She was about to get up and start pacing again when she heard Alec's voice heading towards the control room.

"Never fear, your hero is here," the cocky transgenic called out. Max's fear immediately morphed into rage, she couldn't believe he had the nerve to kid around right now.

"You stupid son of a bitch, I can't believe you didn't check in. What the fuck were you thinking?" Her fist immediately shot out to deck the jokester.

Alec was ready for her, catching her fist and twisting her arm behind her back. "We'll be back in a bit, kids. Maxie and I have to . . . uh . . . discuss a few things."

"Discuss," Mole grunted with a laugh, "try not to get your ass kicked too badly, Pretty Boy."

Alec frog-marched his leader into her office and released her arm. "Alright, Maxie, what jumped up your ass?"

"Don't call me Maxie, you selfish bastard. I can't fucking believe you didn't radio to let us know your status."

"Awww, I knew you missed me," he said sarcastically. "But before you go all apeshit, let me tell you that the radio met up with an unfortunate accident. White's guys weren't really pleased when we came to rescue our genetically enhanced brethren. It just so happens that the radio jumped in the way of a bullet, not to worry, though, we got everyone out okay."

"What, you forgot your damn cell phone?" Max bellowed, shoving Alec into the wall with a crash.

"Don't piss me off, Maxie. It's been a shitty night. I fucked up, I should've called, but you don't want to push me again."

"What are you gonna do, tough guy? I'll kick your ass into next Sunday." She launched herself at him, but he sidestepped and Max landed with a thump on the floor.

"I don't want to fight you right now."

"Don't puss out on me now, Alec." Max taunted, before throwing a chair at him.

"That's it, if you're going to act like a bitch, I am going to treat you like a bitch." Alec moved with lightening speed, moving forward and clipping her on the jaw. The force of the blow knocked her into the wall, giving her attacker a moment to put up his defenses again.

She couldn't believe it, that asshole had punched her before she even had a chance to react. Max was about to attack again when she glanced at his face and was riveted by the mixture of savage rage and something else on her best friend's face. She moved to aim a kick at his leg, but her momentary appreciation of Alec's expression had given him the upper had. The next thing she knew, she was pinned against the ground and Alec's rock hard body was pressed up against her.

The moment his body came in contact with Max's, his brain shorted out and instinct took over. His eyes zeroed in on the luxuriant lips that haunted his every waking thought. Alec's mouth covered hers with an almost punishing force. Max welcomed the brutality of the kiss; she moaned her approval, using her tongue to tantalize her partner, while her legs wrapped themselves around his waist. The male transgenic pushed harder against her body in response to her ardor, the soft vee of her thighs cradled his package, making him ache to remove the layers of clothing between them. Their hands mimicked each other's, both trying frantically to remove shirts while not wanting to take the time to end their kiss.

"Oh shit, sorry." Luke exclaimed. "We didn't hear any noise and we wanted to make sure that you hadn't killed each other or anything. I guess, I'll . . . uh . . . leave you two alone."

Terminal City's two leaders jumped up from the floor, straightening their clothes and trying not to make eye contact.

"Ummm, adrenaline makes you do crazy things, huh." Max laughed nervously, hoping Alec would go with that and they could avoid talking about what they had almost done.

"Right, adrenaline," he murmured.

Max knew it was stupid, but she felt vaguely let down when he agreed with her, even if it was what she had wanted him to do. She didn't notice that Alec's blank soldier mask had dropped into place before he let himself out of her office.


	4. All Mixed Up

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Dark Angel characters that existed in the TV series or the books; anyone else that happens to crop up is of my own invention.

A/N: For anyone that is confused, I am now using DD to denote a location break since the asterisks I was using keep disappearing.

All Mixed Up

She missed him. Even though she saw Alec everyday, for most of the day, it wasn't the same. Something had changed between them. It was almost as though he was keeping some part of himself back from her, guarding some central element of his personality, holding it locked in a room that she didn't have access to. Max watched him interact with TC's other inhabitants and saw no change; she was the only one he was freezing out. The transgenic leader flinched when she saw him give Gem an affectionate hug and share a laugh with Luke. It felt like she was on the sidelines, peeking in at a party everyone but Max was invited to.

She examined her last thought, cursing herself for thinking anything that cheesy and lame. It was ridiculous, she had more important things to worry about rather than keep tabs on who Alec was cozying up to. But she found she couldn't concentrate on anything else.

""Little fella have big problem, Joshua help?" The dog man asked her, startling her out of her reverie.

"No thanks, big fella, I'm good," Max lied. Actually, Sandeman's number one son made her realize how badly shaken she was about the whole thing with Alec. She hadn't even noticed his approach. It wasn't completely unheard of for an X5 to be caught off guard by a fellow Manticore alumnus, but Joshua wasn't exactly known for his stealth. Manticore hadn't even known about him, much less taken the time to train him. She had to do something about her situation with Smart-Alec.

DD

Alec didn't know how much longer he could keep it up. Staying away from Max was driving him insane. He missed talking to her, missed the way he was the only one she really let her guard down around. In face, he was a little worried about her; the mutant mayor was starting to look a little frayed around the edges. No one else had noticed that her smiles were forced or that her all too infrequent laughter was totally fake, but he knew something was up.

The Manticore mask of X5-494 had originally been erected to protect him from getting his heart stomped on any further by TC's fearless leader, but he knew he had to go to Max and help her through whatever issue had arisen.

"Fuck it," he thought, "I wouldn't have lasted much longer anyway."

DD

"Maxie, wake up."

One doe-like eye slowly opened to see Alec peering down at her, while the other remained stubbornly closed. As soon as she focused on who was speaking to her, she immediately became alert.

"What's wrong? Has White breached the perimeter?" She demanded.

"Relax," Alec's voice soothed. "We need to talk and since you were going to have a sore neck if I let you spend another night at your desk, I figured now was as good a time as any."

"I need to finish the ---"

"The schedule for sentry duty," he interrupted, "you already did. You've been working in your sleep again, kid. "Let's go." He punctuated his statement by pulling her up by the hand and propelling her out her office door.

"Where are we going?"

"Home, we need to talk." Five minutes later they were seated in relative comfort in Alec's room. "What's wrong?" Alec asked.

"Nothing. What do you mean?"

"I don't know, you haven't cracked a smile in over a week. You've even been using your fake laugh." Seeing her confusion, he elaborated. "When you laugh for real, your whole body laughs, your face lights up, and you make everyone around you happy. What you have been doing lately can only be classified as sound, not laughter."

"Whatever, I don't know what you're talking about. Besides, no one in TC is exactly jumping for joy; we're in a pretty intense situation, in case you hadn't noticed."

"Don't get defensive. I just want to make sure you're okay. I can tell that something is wrong. I want to know why you haven't told anyone what it is, so that it can get solved.

"Nothing is wrong," Max spoke through gritted teeth. "Get off my back."

"I'm not on your back, but I can be." Before Max could process the comment, he had her laid out facedown on his bed. Straddling her lower back, he used his weight to pin her down.

"What the hell are you doing?" She shrieked as she struggled against him.

"I'm helping you relax." He began to leisurely massage the tension-filled muscles in her neck and back. It was a good ten minutes before he felt her body unwind and loosen beneath him. Alec was about to congratulate himself on his success when she spoke.

"Why are you being so nice to me?"

"I'm always nice to you, Maxie. You're the one always hitting me."

"Don't change the subject, you're the one that has been ignoring me forever! You've been hanging out with everyone in TC but me. The second I try to talk about anything other than work, you bail. Why, Alec? What did I do wrong?" She hated the vulnerability in her voice, it was clear she was near tears.

"I just thought you wanted some time to yourself," he lied. The pain in her voice was killing him. Lying down beside her, he gathered her in his arms, so that she was facing him, half her body resting on his. "You didn't do anything wrong, babe." He kept murmuring reassuring words, not even paying attention to what he was saying.

Alec kissed away the tear that had rolled across the bridge of her nose. From there it was an easy move to kiss the tear on her cheek, then move down to her soft lips. Their lips clung in a kiss that while not torrid, was definitely not one of friendship. Soft drugging kisses, nothing rushed, but with tongues making leisurely explorations in each other's mouths. The next half hour had all the tenderness their last encounter had lacked. One of Max's hands had wound its way through Alec's hair. It would be hard to say how long it would have gone on or what it would have become, if her sleep deprivation hadn't caught up with her.

"I'm glad you're not mad at me anymore, Alec." She whispered against his mouth.

When she woke up the next morning, Alec had already left the apartment. Max wasn't sure if that was good or bad. Breaking down and crying in front of a fellow soldier, even if it was only Alec, was embarrassing, so she was glad she didn't have to face that first thing in the morning, but at the same time, she had always wondered what it would be like to wake up in his arms.


	5. Expect the Unexpected

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Dark Angel characters that existed in the TV series or the books; anyone else that happens to crop up is of my own invention.

A/N: For anyone that is confused, I am now using DD to denote a location break since the asterisks I was using keep disappearing. And I am taking a bit of artistic license because I didn't feel like digging out my Dark Angel DVDs to check out what Dalton's designation really is, so for my story it will be X6-112 and even though it doesn't really fit with the shows timeline, I decided he's like 18. Feel free to leave a comment if you know what his age and designation really are.

Expect the Unexpected

It had been four days, three nights since they had had what he referred to as "the talk" and Max was driving him nuts. Not for the usual reason, either. Normally, if he was this frustrated with her, it was because she was being unreasonable or trying to take too much on by herself. His current problem was pure, unadulterated sexual tension.

She kept finding innocuous reasons to touch him. Whether is was leaning in closer than necessary when she looked at a computer screen over his shoulder, or fingers running lightly, caressingly over his barcode in greeting. That morning, she had rested her weight against his chest when she leaned across the table!

And as though the touching weren't enough, she was sleeping with him, too. It was only for an hour or two each night, but she was there. Thank Sandeman for the shark DNA in Max's genes because he knew he couldn't handle a full night of her lying next to him, as it was, he found it very hard to sleep. The first night, he had woken up to the sound of Max entering his room, he had pretended to be asleep when she had crawled into his bed and spooned against him. Though he kept his eyes closed the next two nights, it was clear that he was awake, the telltale sign was in the way his arm immediately snaked around her waist, bringing her flush against him, then his hand would find its way under her shirt to rub slow circles on the sensitive skin of her stomach until she fell asleep.

The worst part was he couldn't even call her a tease because other than their sleeping arrangements, he was pretty sure everything she was doing was totally unconscious. Whatever it was, he didn't think he'd be able to stand it much longer, she had already touched him 47 times and it was only 10 am. Then there were the knowing grins he got from everyone he came in contact with, from the way Max was acting, everyone assumed there was something going on between them. He didn't know how much longer he could take it. His hands itched to pull her against him, or under him, or between him and a wall, and the list went on and on. He needed to get laid, that was it. However, that pretty much wasn't going to happen, not only was he not really interested in anyone other than Max, but the scent of TC's resident alpha female all over him intimidated or rather warned away most of his potential partners.

DD

She couldn't stop rubbing up against him. The feline in her loved the tactile sensation of his skin gliding along hers. She was vaguely aware of the glances she was garnering from her fellow transgenics, but she couldn't make herself bring an end to her overly affectionate antics. It was like Alec was a giant scratching post that she couldn't get enough of.

"Max, Alec is waiting for you in Building C, you two are supposed to teach the X-7s today."

"Is it our turn already? What's on the agenda, Crunch?" Max asked the muscle-bound X-5, in charge of education.

"Common Verbal Usage," he replied, grinning when his leader groaned. "Hey, don't kill the messenger," he quipped, knowing the colloquialism would further irritate her. "Don't look at me like that, you and Alec are perfect for this class. He loves this stuff and you've been our here longer than any of us. Besides, you know how important it is for these kids to know how to blend."

"I know, I know. I'm on my way."

DD

"Hey Smart Aleck, want to spar?" They had just finished teaching the X-7s and were getting ready to head home.

"Where's Regan?" He asked, referring to Max's usual sparring partner. The two were notorious for their no holds-barred matches.

"His mate is in heat."

"Enough said, Maxie." Alec didn't normally like practicing against the mayor, he still had uncomfortable memories of their cage fight, but he was on edge and it was only fair that she help him burn some of that excess energy. "I'm in, but only if we go to The Pit."

"Why are you such an ass? That is about the nastiest place you could have chosen!" Max complained.

"Take it or leave it. It's not that bad."

The Pit was the only place in Terminal City equipped with mats that no one really used, which was exactly why Alec chose it. The light wasn't great and every once in a while you caught a faint whiff of mildew, but the dust was more that worth putting up with, thanks to its solitude. When they reached their destination, they were surprised to see about twenty or so x-series working out. There were so many transgenics it looked like they would have to wait their turn to spar. They approached the mats, stopping next to Dalton. The X6 had really grown since the incident at Jam Pony and though the teenager was an inch shorter than Alec, he outweighed him by about twenty-five pounds. It was clear he was using his recreational time to bulk up.

"Hey Dalton, what's up? Why are there so many people in the Pit? Alec asked.

Dalton turned to Max, ignoring Alec. "Hey, Max, looking good," he grinned at her.

"Thanks," she responded, fighting an amused smile. She had been meaning to have a word with X6-112. He was following Alec's love 'em and leave 'em philosophy, but without 494's respect for relationships in progress. Dalton thought nothing of moving in on couples that while not mated, were acknowledged pairs and it was beginning to be a problem. She had heard several vanquished transgenics mutter about him under their breath, for even though he was an X6, Dalton was alpha to quite a few of Terminal City's inhabitants. Running her eyes over him appraisingly, she had to admit, she understood why some females would be tempted to stray. He had a certain animal magnetism. She laughed to herself over the unintentional phrase.

"Why is everyone here," she reiterated Alec's query.

"I guess they heard you were coming," he replied. Max laughed and raised an eyebrow.

Alec, who had rolled his eyes at the attempt towards smoothness, nearly did a double take when he heard the almost flirtatious giggle that had come from Max. It was so out of character that he actually sniffed the air to see if she was in the early stages of heat. She wasn't.

"Okay, you got me, the main gym flooded. We got the water out, but it's not completely dry yet. Although, now that they know you come here, I'm sure they'll make an effort to stop by more often, I know I will," Dalton continued, while checking his leader out from head to toe. "We dragged a few of the extra mats into a room down the hall if you want to spar with me, Max. I know Regan is busy and you can't get your regular work out." He stepped a little closer.

She looked at his heavily muscled body before replying, "You're a little out of my weight class, but what the hell." It would be a good change of pace, it had been a while since she had fought one of the larger transgenics, and she didn't want to get out of practice.

"Don't worry about it, soldier. She has a partner already." TC's second-in-command had been watching the exchange with growing irritation, no only had the little punk ignored a direct question from him, but it looked like he was trying to move in on Max and he wasn't going to let that happen!

"I guess you're off the hook, Smart Aleck. I know you didn't feel like sparring today and I need to talk to Dalton anyway," she interjected, oblivious to the mounting hostility between the two males. "I'll see you in my office in a couple of hours, we still have to go over tomorrow's heist."

Dalton shot a triumphant look at his former idol before leading Max off.

DD

The sparring area Dalton had set up was a few rooms down from the Pit and completely deserted.

"It looks like this is a pretty well kept secret, before we get started, I want to take advantage of that and talk to you about something," Max paused, unsure of how to continue. "I know we don't have any official rules about mating, but there is an unwritten code of behavior."

"I'm not mated, Max, neither are you and 494."

"I know you're not," she said, choosing to ignore what she felt was a random reference to both Alec and herself. "But you're causing a lot of problems for couples in TC. You've broken up quite a few relationships and you're pissing people off."

"I don't mess with mates, but I admit I consider the others fair game. Besides, it's not like I've ever forced anyone." He stepped closer and put a hand on her, tugging at her arm. "Come on, let's get started."

"Wait, we need to settle this. I know you're a young guy and you think hittin' it with every girl you meet seems like a great idea, but we're living in tight quarters and you need to slow down. Do me a favor and try to make sure she is totally free before you act on your next girl."

"Maybe I just need the love of a good woman to make me settle down," he grinned. "Alright, Max, I'll do this for you." He was inches away from her now and drawing closer.

"Okay, let's start then," she said, pulling away and hitting the mats. She felt a little flushed and was more than ready to change subjects.

"My pleasure."

Dalton had improved since the last time she had seen him fight. She was having trouble keeping up. The power behind his attacks was incredible. She could tell he was pulling his punches so as not to hurt her and it was making her mad. She tried a dirty trick she was sure Manticore had never taught its students and was surprised to find it countered and feel herself flat on her back. Dalton was pinning her completely, leaving little to no room to reverse the maneuver.

"That isn't playing fair, now is it, Max? Not that it matters, but you forgot that you taught me that move when I first started sparring with Alec, you said it would even the playing field." The young man shifted his weight settling himself more entirely around her, while bringing their bodies closer together. Their eyes locked and the mayor was stunned to see the level of desire in Dalton's gaze. It was clear he wasn't a little boy anymore. He stared straight back, not trying to hide how much he wanted her. "So what's going on with you and Alec?"

"What?" Max asked, confused by both the change in topic and the sensations Dalton's body's subtle, almost imperceptible rocking was causing.

"I promised I wouldn't screw up any more relationships, so I'm finding out what's going on between the two of you."

"We're not like that and you're too young for me."

"Are you sure you're not like that?" He countered silkily. "His scent is on you. Right here," he said, kissing the hollow of her throat, "here," his hand ran over her stomach, where her shirt and work out pants didn't quite meet. "He's all over you and I don't like it. I want to kiss you, lick you, bite you, rub against you and bury myself in you until you're so sore you can't move for a week and you think of me every time you breathe," he growled.

"Don't you think you're getting ahead of yourself, junior?" The slightly breathless quality to her voice took the bite out of her attempt at a cutting remark. "Look, I --- "

"And as for the rest, do you think a kid can make you feel like this?" His mouth swooped down, capturing hers. The kiss was like a sensual invasion that no one would ever want to stop. Evidently, it wasn't only his good looks that had the ladies coming back for more. He knew what he was doing.

"Hey Dalton, are you down here?" The two transgenics heard him being called and broke apart. The voice gave Max the opportunity to regain the upper hand and land a blow to the jaw that knocked the 18 year old off her.

"You have to stay focused during a fight," Max lectured, bouncing up to her feet, "you have to learn to filter through distractions, to pick out the lethal ones from the nuisances. That's how you gain tactical advantage." She was trying to turn the encounter into a lesson, to illustrate how unaffected she was. There was only one problem, even if Dalton bought it, there was no way her body was going to.


	6. Confusion

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Dark Angel characters that existed in the TV series or the books; anyone else that happens to crop up is of my own invention.

A/N: For anyone that is confused, I am now using DD to denote a location break since the asterisks I was using keep disappearing. And I am taking a bit of artistic license because I didn't feel like digging out my Dark Angel DVDs to check out what Dalton's designation really is, so for my story it will be X6-112 and even though it doesn't really fit with the shows timeline, I decided he's like 18. Feel free to leave a comment if you know what his age and designation really are.

Confusion

They had just finished doing recon on a medical supply warehouse in sector 3 and were enjoying some forbidden time outside the confines of Terminal City. They weren't doing anything special, just sitting around on a roof in the warehouse district. Actually, they could have been doing the exact same thing in TC, but it was special time they were both savoring.

"Truth or dare, Max?"

"Umm, truth, I guess."

"Chicken, I can't believe you chose truth, that's so lame," he chided. "Alright, when was the last time you had sex?"

"I can't believe you asked that," she exclaimed, turning red. What she couldn't believe was that she got talked into playing this ridiculous game, but after all, he was just a kid. She had chosen truth, figuring it was the safer of the two options. She had no idea what his hormone driven brain would come up with for a dare, but it was probably better if she didn't find out.

"Answer the question," Dalton urged his CO.

"Fine, but you're going to pay for that. It's probably been about a year, yeah, that sounds right."

"How is that possible, have you seen you're self in the mirror lately?"

"Shut up!" She exclaimed, shoving him playfully.

"No, I'm serious, how have you not been with anyone in that long? You chose truth, you have to answer."

"Sorry, buddy boy, you're turns up, I answered your first question."

"Tell you what, if you answer this, I'll go three times in a row." He could feel victory in his grasp, it was too good a promise for her to pass up, that was one extra chance she had to mess with him.

"Deal," she said, reaching out to shake his hand.

"No, not like that." Before she could protest, his mouth was on hers. She had to give him that, he got extra points for his aggressive take-charge attitude and he was a damn fine kisser, but she pushed him away, not wanting things to go too far.

"Keep your distance, Romeo. As far as answering question, I guess it's just been an issue of timing." Dalton motioned for her to elaborate. "Logan and I danced around each for a year, neither of us admitting to the other how we felt and then when we were finally ready to be together, things got complicated."

"The virus, right?"

"Among other things. The virus made it so we couldn't touch, but we were drifting apart anyway. He isn't one of us, D. Logan can't begin to understand what its like. He wants to help and that's great, but he's an ordinary and I'm not. I didn't want to be his in-house burglar anymore, as it turns out, I'm not an indoor cat."

"That makes sense, but what about after him. We've been in TC for a while and you've been surrounded by transgenics, not an ordinary in sight, with the exception of the occasional visit from OC and Sketch. Why haven't you given us a try? I know ten guys that would storm a compound full of Familiars, single-handed, just to get the chance to be alone, in a bedroom, with you for ten minutes."

"I'll remember that the next time I'm trying to think of ways to motivate the troops," she returned, brushing his comment aside with a joke. "No, seriously, I guess I've just been focused on the big picture." She shook her head, as though clearing her thoughts. "Now stop trying to delay my turn, I know you're shaking in your boots, dreading what I might come up with."

"I give, your turn," the X6 groaned. "Dare," he answered before she was able to form the question.

"Good," she smiled, just a little be wickedly. "After we get back to the land of transgenics, I dare you to steal all of Mole's cigars."

"You know you're going to miss me when I die, right?"

"Huh?"

"I mean it. Mole is going to kill me and you're going to have to live with that on your conscience."

"I think I'll survive. Anyway, if you're as good as you think you are he'll never know it was you."

"Ouch, Max, that hurts. That really hurts. Not only do you try to get me killed, but to add insult to injury, you question my skills at the same time. We'll see who's laughing when I get to go." He rejoined playfully.

"Stop crying, you big baby. I still have two turns and I can't wait to see what I come up with next."

"Dare."

"Let's see, what can I get you to do?" Max pondered out loud. A moment later her eyes lit with a diabolical gleam. "I know the perfect dare! Gem is short-handed at the daycare right now, so I dare you to help out with the morning shift for the rest of the week."

"You really are trying to get me killed!" Dalton's look of horror was half-serious. "Those babies are demons. Can't I do something to Mole again? I could give him a wedgie or something like that? It would be safer for me."

"Don't tell me Big Bad Dalton is afraid of a few dozen X-babies," she laughed.

"I can hand it, but I am sure as hell not making the mistake of letting you give me another dare."

"That's too bad," Max pretended to pout, "I was having fun."

"Sorry, babe, I'm going with truth this time. Good luck finding a question you don't already know the answer to, I'm an open book," he grinned, thinking her had her stumped. It took a few minutes, but she came up with a question.

"Why me?"

"What do you mean?" He asked, confused.

"What I mean is that for the longest time, we were casual friends. We didn't avoid each other, but we didn't go out of our way to spend time together, either. Now, out of nowhere, you're all up on me. You volunteer to go on supply runs with me, spar, recon, whatever I'm doing and you tend to show up wherever I am. I just want to know what's going on, what's changed."

"Fair enough, I guess you could say you're who's changed." He put his hand up to stop Max from interrupting him. "Let me finish my explanation. All bullshit aside, I've always thought you were the most amazing person around. That day at Jam Pony, you came flying through a window on a hoverdrone. That is the hottest, sexiest thing I've ever seen. I could tell that you were a warrior, but you also had these amazing curves. You're a perfect blend of Artemis, goddess of wild things and huntress-in-chief and Aphrodite, goddess of love and beauty." Max blushed slightly at these words. "But to you I was still a kid. That was cool, no big deal, I figured I had plenty of time to correct that misconception. But, you've changed, you and Alec have gotten close. These last few days, every time I was near you or him, I could smell you on each other. I couldn't take it anymore, I knew it was time to get off the sidelines and back into the game."

"Alec and I aren't like that and I don't think you and I –"

"Don't say it," he stopped her. "I don't want to hear whatever it is. Just give me a chance. You want me! You can't deny that, I can feel it when I touch you. It may not be as much as I want you and probably not even as much as you want 494, but it's something and it's real. You don't' have to agree with what I'm saying, just don't shut me out. Give me the opportunity to show you what it could be like between us."

DD

She had stopped sleeping with him. He knew he had complained that she was driving him crazy with their platonically intimate relationship, but now that she had backed away, he found himself craving their previous level of contact. His sheets didn't smell like her anymore, nor did his skin. Worst of all, every now and then he caught Mole and Dix watching him with almost pitying expressions. Mole, of all people! Everyone was keeping an eye on his and Dalton's interactions, too. No one was quite sure what was going on, but it was clear they were no longer really friends.

"Hey, man, what's going on?" Potter asked Alec.

"Not much, just working on a few different possibilities for supply runs."

"Actually, I meant what's going on with Dalton? I know it's none of my business, but that's never really stopped me before, so I'm not going to let it get in my way now. That kid used to worship you, hell, he's damn near patterned his personality after you and now you guy aren't even talking, what gives?"

"He's trying to take what's mine and unlike the other guys in TC, I'm not going to let it happen."

"Take who?" Potter persisted, looking for the whole story.

"Max! Who the hell else would I be talking about?"

"I had to ask because as far as the rest of us know, 'You're not like that,'" the demolitions expert laughed at his own use of the mayor's catchphrase. "Are you telling me you've made a claim?"

"What are we playing Twenty Questions? No, I haven't laid claim to her, but everyone knows she's mine. I've been the biggest fucking joke in Terminal City since forever because I'm so damned whipped." Alec glared at his friend.

"Maybe you need to talk to Dalton, or better yet, talk to Max. Make her see what's in front of her face or Dalton isn't he only one you're going to have problems with. She's hot and there aren't a whole lot of females around. Guys have left her alone up until now for a few reasons, but those reasons aren't going to last forever. Hell, the first one is already gone. She used to be seen as a traitor, but we've gotten over that, so it's not exactly a stumbling block anymore. The two biggest things holding guys back right now are that one, not only is she our leader, but two, she's probably alpha to over two/thirds of the trannies in her, male and female. A lot of dudes aren't looking for that in a relationship. I guess the last thing left is you. You might just be resident alpha, but that's only going to take you so far, given that you've never made your move. Plus, we're not even sure if you really are alpha alpha. But that's neither here nor there because if Dalton leads the way, it's only a matter of time before the rest of the fellas realize she's not so unavailable. And you know the woman ultimately makes the decision when we mate and she's got a lot of choices. Shit, if she were looking for a quick fuck, I'd be the first to volunteer," he added with a smile.

"Don't even think about it," Alec snarled, his hand wrapped around Potter's throat.

"Already forgotten," he gasped in reply.

DD

Max was pulled into one of TC's many dark alleys by an unseen assailant. She was about to retaliate when she recognized the voice.

"It's just me, relax," Dalton whispered, aligning her along his body, forcing her to rest her weight on him.

"That was a stupid move, I could have hurt you, you big jerk," she grumbled. It had been a week since their sparring match and in that time, the blond X6 had done his damnedest to seduce her. He had kissed and caressed her in a series of stolen moments. In fact, she had gotten so used to being in his arms that it didn't even occur to her to shrug him off right away.

"You're tense, let me help you relax." He began to knead her shoulders with strong hands.

"Wow that has to be one of the oldest lines in the book. Why don't you just invite me to slip into something more comfortable?" She teased.

"Believe me, I would if I thought for a second that I could get you to do it," he murmured in her ear. "Besides, those lines are classics for a reason."

"Well, like most classics, those need to be retired."

He continued his massage and they lapsed into silence as he worked the tension from her neck. Once her body was soft and pliable, his hands found their way to the front, his fingers circling her breasts, rhythmically stroking and tenderly squeezing her nipples. He nuzzled the side of her neck breathing in her scent.

One hand dropped to slide down the front of her pants. It was the first time he had ventured there. It had been a while since Max had had any real sexual release and while she knew she should stop the teen's enthusiastic ministrations, she couldn't make herself think of anything other than the way she felt. And for a while, the only sounds that came from her lips were pleasure-filled moans as his fingers delved expertly between the folds of her sex.

"Ohhh, this . . . probably is . . . a bad . . . idea," she said, between pants. "What if someone sees us?" Her half-formed protest continued, only to be distracted by his knowing touch.

"This is the best fucking idea I've ever had," he groaned raggedly. Dalton was hard as a rock thanks to the combination of the sexy noises his commander-in-chief was making and the way the genetically engineered perfection of her ass was grinding back into him.

Max's own hands were splayed on either side of his thighs. At first she had put them there to push him away, but after a few moments of his erotic torture, she used them to anchor herself to him for more sweet torment. She almost screamed when she reached orgasm, after such a long period of celibacy the release was intense. Dalton bit down on her shoulder as she came; he was so turned on by her reaction to him. As TC's leader felt his breath on the back of her neck and sensed his teeth about to break skin, an instinctive alarm bell blared warning in her head, piercing the pleasure induced fog, causing her to rip her body away from him.

"No!"

"Oh shit, Max, I didn't mean to . . . well, I did . . . but I wasn't . . . not without your consent . . . what I mean . . . fuck . . . I'm sorry!" The words sputtered from Dalton's mouth in incomprehensible phrases.

She didn't understand what had almost happened, why she was so mad, and definitely not why he was apologizing. Max had no idea what was going on and the lack of knowledge ate at her. The worst part was that she didn't know who to talk to about it. Normally she went to Alec when she needed advice or clarification about her feline instincts, but this didn't feel like something she wanted to tell him about, especially since she didn't understand what had happened.

"Damn it," she thought. "I can't handle this right now. I'll just pull a Scarlet O'Hara and think about it tomorrow.


	7. Mine

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Dark Angel characters that existed in the TV series or the books; anyone else that happens to crop up is of my own invention.

A/N: For anyone that is confused, I am now using DD to denote a location break since the asterisks I was using keep disappearing. I apologize if this chapter seems forced, it kind of was. This has sort of been stagnating and I just had to get the story past this point so that I can wrap it up and end it, possibly in the next chapter or so. I hope it's not too bad.

Mine

Alec entered Max's bedroom silently and made his way over to the bed, intent on joining her under the covers. When he slid his arm over her waist to spoon around her, he felt her whole body tense as though ready to run. It was almost as if she had slapped him, no matter how pissed she was, her body had never flat out rejected his touch. Alec was about to leave when he felt her relax and turn towards him.

"Hey Smart-Aleck, I didn't realize it was you." The relief in her voice was clear. She moved into his arms, pressing close against him and tucking her head under his chin.

"Who else would it be?" He asked, tightening the embrace.

"No one," she replied quickly.

"If you say so," he decided to go with that for now, as he had more pressing things to clear up with her. "Anyway, I came in here to see why you've been keeping me up at night."

"What?" Max was blind-sided by the slightly accusatory statement. "I haven't been near you in days. If anything, I've stopped waking you up now that I'm spending my nights alone."

"I know that's the problem, Maxie. I've gotten used to spending part of the night with you, now I can't sleep without you in my bed." She shivered a little at the words. "Why did you stop?"

She wasn't really sure what to say. Truthfully, she had stopped because of Dalton. Max missed sleeping with Alec's solid bulk next to her, too. However, X6-112 felt the need to replace Alec's scent with his own. And in an attempt stop the transgenic's wandering hands, Max had made sure there was no one's scent on her but her own. That idea hadn't worked, but she had noticed Dalton was less aggressive about his desire when 494 wasn't on her skin. Listening to her thoughts, Max knew the logical conclusion should have been to tell Dalton off in no uncertain terms and that her lack of action was all the encouragement he needed. Those were the logistics, but what she had focused on was how much she had enjoyed being petted and made to feel sexy. As the head of Freak Nation, she intimidated quite a few of the people around her. The fact that this was unintentional didn't do anything to relieve her isolation. Only Alec, OC and to a lesser extent, Joshua made her feel normal. Dalton's interest in her had made her feel like a girl, plain and simple, not like the potential savior of the world, just a girl.

"I don't know what to say, so I'm not going to say anything." She finally spoke.

"But you'll sleep with me tonight, right?" He questioned, single-mindedly. Max nodded assent. "Good, because I --" All of the sudden, Alec's mood turned deadly serious. "WHO?!" He demanded, causing the woman he loved to struggle into a sitting position, while looking at him as though he was demented. "Who marked you?" He elaborated though clenched teeth, drawing her attention to the bite on her shoulder."

"I don't know. My sparring sessions with Regan get pretty intense, who knows when it happened," she hedged.

"Try again, Max, transgenics heal quickly, that had to have happened within the last few hours." He leaned forward to breathe her in deeply, trying to identify the culprit by scent, but Max had showered, trying to erase all evidence of her encounter with overly amorous X6. "Tell me."

"Why does it matter?"

"It matters because I'm here about to spill my guts to you and you're in bed with another man's brand on you." His hand snaked out to lift her hair out of the way and examine her barcode, relief shot through him when he saw nothing out of the ordinary.

"What is it with guys and the back of my neck tonight? First, 'Guy A' almost goes vampire on it, now you, 'Guy B' are staring at it like you've never read it before."

"Who tried to claim you, Max?" A killing fury was visible in his normally jovial eyes. "Who tried to mate with you? WHO?" He roared.

It was as though blinders had been ripped from her eyes and she could see her second-in-command for what he truly was, not just a fun-loving trickster, but one of Manticore's finest. The thin veil of humanity he was usually cloaked in had been stripped from him, leaving the primal being in front of her. This predator was male to her female and alpha to her in rank, but she wasn't afraid, he was no threat to her, but she was overwhelmed by the sheer force of his personality. Suddenly, it all made sense, her instinctive denial of Dalton's unsolicited actions and his shamefaced apology. She may not have known what was going on, but her body had.

"Dalton," she whispered, unwilling and unable to keep the knowledge from him any longer.

Alec blurred out of their apartment, a hunter intent on his prey. Max ran after him, but she was no match for Alec's rage-fueled pace.

DD

Dalton was flying through the air before he even registered that was being attacked.

""What the fuck were you thinking?" Alec roared, throwing a chair which the X6 barely dodged. "She didn't even understand, you stupid son of a bitch."

"What the hell's going on?" Edgar, one of TC's most deadly warriors, asked, getting in between the two warring transgenics. The look in 494's eyes almost made him step out of the way, but he reminded himself that eh outweighed Monty Cora by 30 pounds and that he was known as a badass, too. "I can't let you kick the kid's ass until I'm sure he deserves it."

"This asshole tried to mate with Max without her knowledge and definitely without her consent."

"Without her knowledge?" Edgar repeated, a little confused. Alec was seething with rage but he tried to calm down long enough to elaborate.

"Max doesn't know how transgenics mate. Her unit left Manticore before they hit puberty. No one explained our fucked up genetics to them."

"I agree that what he did was messed up, after all, the female chooses," everyone around them nodded in agreement, "but you're going a little extreme here."

"It's more than that and you know it, you just want to hear me say it," Alec bit out. "Dalton knows, just like everyone else knows, that Max is mine!" He felt better having publicly announced his intentions, even if he wasn't addressing the right person.

"That's bullshit," his rival snarled. "I am so sick of tip-toeing around this non-existent relationship you and Max have. Why should the rest of us back off? Why should I acknowledge an unspoken claim?" Frustration, anger, and nervous excitement made the younger man spew forth all the ideas he normally kept to himself. "Have you ever thought about what's best for Max? Who can she go to when she has a problem? Who can she trust when the shit hits the fan in her life? She needs someone to be there for her, she needs a mate!" The two combatants were circling each other.

"What makes you think she doesn't have that already? I'm not just her second in command, kid. I'm her best friend." They were slugging it out at this point, moving so fast they were a blur. "I'm the one she talks to when she's had a shitty day. I'm the one she turns to when she feels like being the fucking messiah might just be a little too much. And I'm the one she comes to at nigh, when she can't sleep and she needs someone to hold her!" The last statement was punctuated by a powerful uppercut that knocked Dalton to the ground. "She's mine and there is no way in hell I'll let you take her away from me. I'd kill you first. This is your last chance to give up."

"Fuck you! I don't need your permission to take something that's never belonged to you."

After that the battle turned savage. The two attacked each other with merciless efficiency. It was difficult to tell what the outcome of the fight would be. Alec's superior skills and extensive real-world experience were well-matched against Dalton's more muscular build and youthful intensity. Each man was fighting for a woman he already felt belonged to him.

Max joined the crowd of onlookers. She stood next to Seven, a female who had named herself after a very hot pre-pulse jeans ad.

"Don't worry, this isn't like the mate fights between animals," Seven reassured, "whoever wins right now, doesn't win you, they just win the right to court you. The female makes the decision. You can still choose the loser, if you want. It just doesn't ever happen that way, we tend to go for the alpha."

"Mate fight?" Max echoed. "I know Dalton wants to … but … Alec and I, we're not like that."

"Are you serious?" Seven asked incredulously. "Give it up and stop lying to yourself," she admonished. "Everyone knows you two are more than just friends. Alec practically snarls any guy is overly friendly towards you. And haven't you noticed the way he makes some lame excuse to touch your barcode whenever new transgenics are around? Besides, don't even get me started with the way you act. Hell, when I first got here, I thought you and Alec being together was one of those not-so-secret secrets. You've practically tattooed 'Max's property' on him, the way you rub your scent on him."

"But we're not like that," she whispered faintly, her mind still processing Seven's frank conversation. Stunned, she watched as the battle raged on in front of her, her eyes moving as though on auto-pilot, taking in the action in front of her. Both of her suitors caught sight of her at the same time. An inhuman burst of energy filled Alec. He locked wyes with Max at the same moment that he picked Dalton up by the throat and threw him against a wall.

"Max is mine," Alec declared, directing his statement to the barely conscious X6-112, whose head had smacked against the brick with sickening force. He may have been speaking to the younger man, but his eyes never left Max's throughout the exchange.

"Yours, huh?" She challenged, feeling both anger at Alec's presumption and desire for the primal being before her. Something in his gaze made her want to agree with him, made her want to submit to him, want to walk into his arms and wrap his strength around her.

"Yes, mine," he affirmed, steel in his voice. "He held his hand out to her, waiting to see if she was going to fight him over this.

Just as he had in her bedroom earlier, he radiated vitality and a commanding force that she almost lost herself to, but something in her knew that it was somehow important that she not give in yet.

"You've won the right to court me, nothing more. Don't get cocky, Smart-Alec." Max turned to walk away, but her exit was ruined when Alec seized her wrist and pulled her to him for a searing kiss.

"Tsk tsk tsk," he whispered in her ear, mockingly, "so hot-tempered. Don't think for one minute that this is over. It's not, not by a long shot. Maxie, not only are you going to be begging me to make you mine, but you're going to want every transgenic in TC to know it."


End file.
